T]HE  SQUARE  BOOK 

OF  ANIMALS 


ByWifflamNicholsoft. 


•afru^ 

University  of  California  •  Berkeley 


Gift  of 
THE  HEARST  CORPORATION 


^Or  10  M  «!  *i* 


FHE  SQUARE  BOOK 

OF  ANIMALS 

ByWilliamNicholson. 


RHYMES  BY   ARTHUR  \VAUGH. 


ft* 


Published  by  R.H.Rwssell.  New  York.  1900. 


NOTE. 

The   book  of  Animals  was   designed 
by  Mr.  Nicholson  in  1896. 


Copyright,  1899,  by  William  Heinemann. 
All  rights  reserved. 

Entered  at  Stationers  Hall,  London,  England. 

Entered  at  the  Library  of  Congress,  Washington,  U.S.A. 


AN  EXPLANATION 


Friend,   seek   not  here   (to  feed  the  mind) 

Zoology's   recondite    feasts: 
Here  you  will   find   but  common,   kind, 

And  unsophisticated   beasts! 


Yet  fresh  the  life  of  farm  and  grange 
As  that  which  o'er  the  ocean  roams; 

Take  for  a  change  a  narrower  range  - 
An  English  book  for  English  homes! 


THE    BRITISH    BULL-DOG 
You   swing  the  gate;  and  there    he    stands    to    greet    you, 

V 

With    growl   or   grin,   as  you    are    Strange   or    known: 
According    to   your    merits    will    he    treat    you  — 

An    Englishman    who    loves    and     guards    his    own. 


THE    UN-COMMON    CAT 


Nine     lives    they    five    the    common    cat  1 

There's    a    rare    one    livelier    yet    than    that! 

A    cat    that    swings    nine    separate    tails! 

And,  when    it's    let    out    of    the    bag,   it    rails 

With    so    knotty    a    tongue    that    the    culprit    quails! 


THE    FRIENDLY    HEN 


Some    birds    lay    egj?s    *n    towering    trees, 
And    some    in    fens    conceal    them; 

The    hen    seeks    friendlier    haunts    than    these, 
Where    every    child    can    Steal    them. 


THE   LEARNED    PIG 


The    farm's    philosophy,    our    eyes    assure    us, 
Is     simpler    than    in    Aristotle's    day: 

The    youngest    piflinf   follows    Epicurus, 

And    Bacon's    Essays    take    the    primrose    way, 


i          • 

c, 


THE    BEAUTIFUL    SWAN 


All    day    she    rules    the    pond    from    edge    to    edge, 
Exerting    Beauty's    easy   privilege; 
Her    world    a    mirror    spread    in   each    direction, 
Where    she    reflects    upon    her    own    reflection* 


THE    VERY   TAME    LAMB 


All    men.    Said    the   poet,    are    struck    at   a    mint, 

And    some    coins    ring'    flat    that    the  coiners    embellish; 

But    the   lamb    is    so   tame    he  will    pardon   the   hint  — 
He'd   be    best   with   a   little    mint— sauce   for    a    relish! 


If  1  <t  rtl" 

V      18  VL-     .'It     t: 


THE   TOILSOME    GOAT 

At 

You're    a    lively   kid!      is    the    schoolboy    jest; 
But    the    kid    is    driven    to   work   one    day, 
And    the    hours    of  harness    know    little    rest 
For    the    stiff    groat -carriage   round    the    bay 


THE    LUCKY    DUCK 


There    -was    a    Drake,    my   Duck,    at    Plymouth    Hoe 

Played    bowls,   with    Spain's   Armada    clear   of  Dover! 
A    gramesome    spirit!      But    to    him    we    owe 
The   peace    your    farm    and  all    our   homesteads    know: 
For,  ere    the    Spaniard    reached    our   wickets,   lo! 
Drake    bowled    him    over  ! 


COCK  O'    THE   NORTH 


Cock   o' the   North!       The    dawn    Is   young, 

Grey-glimmer  ing   the  pane; 
Yet   you,   with  your   discordant   tongue. 

Have    woken   me    again! 
Good   beasts    are  silent   in   their  pens. 
Hush !    Leave   the  boasting  to  the  hens ! 


10 


THE  SIMPLE    SHEEP 


The    sheep's    like  the   man  In   the   street. 

She  'will   follow,    and  blunder,  and  bleat, 
In  pursuit   of   her   fate 
At   the    slaughter-house    gate, 

And    she   learns  it   too  late   to   retreat. 


THE     SERVILE    COW 


When   the    cow*S   In    the    farmyard ,   her    Sense 
Of  servility's    simply    immense; 

But   you   meet    her   a  grain 

In    the   highway    or  lane. 
And   she   tosses   you    over   the   fence. 


12 


THE    GROWING    COLT 


Rough*  shaggy   colt:    the  world   is    all  before   you: 

Blithe   be   your   life,  Secure   of  oats   and    hay; 
A  little    crowd    of  people    to   adore   you  * 

\ 

And   some    grreen   resting-place  at    shut    of  day! 


13 


The    sun   is  low  behind   the   grrey-gnreen   trees 
And   all   the    farm    grows    quiet   by    degrrees. 
Among    their    many    lessons    this    is    best: 
The    animals    know  when   and   how  to   rest! 


A.W. 


\ 


O-D 

JTJ\ 


